Brian Griffin
Overview Brian is a talking dog, who has lived with the Griffin family since Peter picked him up as a stray. While he exhibits some typical dog behaviors like eating garbage, licking himself, leaving dead birds on the porch, intensely fearing the vacuum cleaner and the dog whistle, sleeping at the foot of Peter Griffin's bed, and trouble standing up in the car, he also possesses various anthropomorphic qualities, such as the ability to speak intelligently, drive a car, and walk bipedally. He also has a particularly sharp wit. Peter is his best friend, despite Brian's vastly superior intelligence. In Brian Goes Back To College, it is revealed that Brian went to Brown University in Rhode Island, but did not graduate. Brian has a cultured background; he loves opera and jazz (he is a fan of John Coltrane) speaks fluent French and Tagalog, and is competent in Spanish. He is also a member of Mensa. He loves to sing, and can imitate a barbershop quartet without accompaniment. He is an avid writer, having once been invited to write for The New Yorker, although he was fired once the magazine learned he did not graduate from college. He has also attempted to write a novel, although has made little progress other than the title "Faster Than The Speed of Love", and a synopsis similar to the movie "Iron Eagle" (for which Stewie and Lois mock him). He is a smoker, an alcoholic and recovered cocaine addict. Brian discovered that his cocaine habit has stemmed from his mother abandoning him and for which he saw a therapist. He has also made references to either buying, being in possession of, or smoking marijuana in the following episodes: A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas - After Peter tells Brian his idiotic plan to get the family's presents back, Brian asks, "Can I buy some pot from you?" in reference to a line from Animal House. Jungle Love - When Brian tells Chris about his time in the Peace Corps, he says that that the country he went to had "great dope" which was growing wild, and that he and his buddies had once gotten so high that they ate all the food that was meant for the natives. Deep Throats - Lois states Brian has some "inspiration" in a cigar box under his bed. However this may not be a reference to Brian's drug problem due to the fact that Brian, Lois and Peter sleep in the same bed. Whistle While Your Wife Works - After Brian says that he and Jillian talk about Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Stewie responds by saying "You hate MTV!" in which Brian responds by saying "Pot helps." Barely Legal - When Lois is telling Brian how much it means to Meg that he is taking her to the school dance, Brian asks "You got any weed?" to which Lois answers "I put it in your coat pocket." No Chris Left Behind - When Brian learns that Meg has connections to pot at her school, he makes up an excuse to Lois so that he and Meg can smoke pot and make the night go faster. He has been to rehab, but since he still drinks and smokes pot, it is assumed that it was only for his cocaine addiction. Background In the Family Guy universe, dogs are either talking, anthropomorphic creatures like Brian and his cousin Jasper, or more true-to-life, such as his mother, Biscuit, his father Koko, and his one time lover, Seabreeze. Both classes are subject to the same rules, such as not being allowed inside certain shops or to wander the streets without an owner. Brian's "humanity" is rarely remarked upon, however, exceptions include when Peter's boss, Mr. Weed, referred to him as a "funny talking dog" and in the episode "Brian in Love" when Brian tries to explain his relationship troubles to Peter, who responds, "Oh my God! You can talk!" Another example of Brian's "humanity" is his attraction to human women; Brian has dated several since the show began, and is deeply in love with Peter's wife, Lois. Brian has also been accidentally been called "Brain Griffin" in episode 7: "Brian: Portrait of a Dog", by the dog show announcer. Brian was born on a farm in Austin, Texas, in a litter of five puppies, of whom he was the only anthropomorphic. His youth and adolescence have not been explored in detail, although he somehow made his way to Rhode Island and attended Brown University. He is currently one class short of graduating from Brown (The class is Physics 101 - in the season 4 episode "Brian Goes Back to College", Brian re-enrolls in an attempt to earn his degree, but fails). Brian has also served in the Peace Corps. He has mentioned that he hung out with Andy Warhol in the 1970s, though this particular interlude is most likely one of the show's reality-bending cutaways, as he is said to be only seven years old. His age is usually treated differently depending on the joke. In one episode, he states: "I'm seven years old and if I play my cards right, I got seven more years ahead of me." Brian spent some time as a homeless stray washing car windshields for change before he met Peter, who offered him a home with his family in Quahog, Rhode Island. When Brian returned to Austin years later to find his mother, he found that she had died and her owners were using her stuffed body as a table. Brian absconded with her body to give his mother a proper burial. Prior to Brian, the Griffins had another talking dog named Todd, who was put down at the age of 15 due to illness. Despite his anthropomorphic intelligence, Brian shares certain traits and shortcomings with real dogs. For example, he cleans himself with his tongue and scratches at fleas with his hind leg. On the commentary of "Road to Rhode Island" he confirmed that he sees in black and white. He has a fear of the toilet flushing and of the vacuum (which is ironic, considering that he was actually vacuuming in the episode "Fore, Father"). He also couldn't control his animal urges for the prized Pewterschmidt dog, Seabreeze. Furthermore, although his maturity and broad range of experiences seem to imply that he is as old as a middle aged human, as a dog he is only seven years old. Peter has been known to tease him about his shorter lifespan. In one episode, he seems to have a 'midlife crisis'. He is also shown to have a liking for dog food at times. In "Chitty Chitty Death Bang", he chases the chuck wagon from the commercials for Purina Chuck Wagon, and in "Barely Legal", he comes running with joy when Peter's daughter Meg shakes a bag of Dog Chow. In "The Thin White Line", Peter states after Brian bails him out "Brian, it's times like these that I regret that you're going to die 50 years before I do." In "Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey", it is revealed that Brian is not potty trained but rather defecates outside like other dogs. Tired of stepping in his feces, Lois forces him to wear diapers, which he finds extremely humiliating. Amused, Stewie says that he looks "silly" in his diapers but tells him that it won't be so bad once he gets used to them. Brian eventually gets out of diapers by simply defecating in Mayor West's garden instead, leading Lois to think he is potty-trained. In an earlier episode, Brian suffers from incontinence due the stress of repressing his romantic feelings toward Lois. He initially tries to hide this condition by blaming it on Stewie, but is discovered when he has a public accident in the grocery store. Brian seems somewhat ashamed of his animal urges and insecure about his canine status in general. He once refused to do degrading pet tricks for Peter during a dog show, despite it being necessary to win the money needed to buy the family a new air conditioner. He also chastised Lady and the Tramp for acting in typical dog-like behavior, saying that "that's just what they want you to do". He suffers mistreatment as a dog, with references to movies like The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and School Ties, movies about characters who suffer from racial segregation and anti-Semitism. He is humiliated when the Griffins catch him with canine pornography. There is some confusion as to whether or not Brian is racist. Brian displayed some uncontrollable barking at a rap artist. However, in another episode, he is seen dating a black girl. Brian is notably intelligent, enjoying renowned works of art such as the opera Carmen and the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He has also heavily invested in the stock market, and collects first editions of literary classics. In Meet the Quagmires he is shown to be able to play the guitar and keytar, although this may have just been another play on the scene in Back to the Future. His intellectual bent makes it very difficult for him to form romantic relationships with most human women, which may be one reason for his substance abuse as a coping mechanism. In Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, which is set 30 years in the future, it is revealed that Brian died (or rather, will die) after "getting into the garbage and eating some chocolate". In heaven, he tries to get into intellectual conversations with Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, and Kurt Cobain, but is discouraged to learn that their deaths were far more artistically noble than his. It should be noted, however, that the future as depicted in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story may not actually happen, as Stewie takes action to prevent his own future as it is shown in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story from occurring. Brian held several jobs while living in Los Angeles including being a waiter, car wash attendant, screenwriter and pornographic film director. He does not hold steady employment in Quahog, although did once become a substitute teacher at Chris' school as well as short stints as a taxi driver and police officer for the Quahog police department as a drug sniffing dog. He left the police force after becoming addicted to cocaine. Nevertheless, he is able to afford a car, pay bills, and maintain a credit card. It should be noted that in a deleted scene from Screwed the Pooch, Lois asks Brian where he gets his money from, to which Brian nervously responds that he "picks up odd jobs." It then goes on to show him in a janitor's uniform pulling a janitor's cart through an office building, where he stops by a window, pulls out a sniper's gun, shoots a guy getting out of a limo, and then strolls away whistling after hiding the gun in the cart. In contrast to the other characters on the show, Brian actually can remember things from show to show. In the "The Fat Guy Strangler" episode, Brian remembers Peter encouraging him to jump into the closed window of the General Lee in "To Love and Die in Dixie". Brian also recalls Stewie beating him up mercilessly in "Patriot Games" and lets him swallow Peter's tobacco spittle in retaliation in the "Airport '07" episode. As the most sensible member of the Griffin family, Brian often serves as the voice of reason or as a mediator during family arguments. He is also usually the first (and often only) one to realize that there is impending danger. Because of his intelligence and dry, deadpan manner, Brian sometimes acts as the "straight man" of the show. Relatives * Peter Griffin (owner) * Biscuit (mother) * Coco Griffin (father) * Ellen (sister) * Jack (brother) * Brian, Jr. (son) * Skippy (nephew) * Freda (maternal aunt) * Jasper (cousin) * Seabreeze (Temporary Wife) External Links * Brian Griffin at Wikipedia Category:Characters Category:Griffin Family